VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTHERN HANDS. 791

from the kangaroo, and the acquifition of this fpecies would be a real benefit toEurope .

At the time we were on thefe fliores all the females that were full-grown had intheir pocket a young one of tolerable fize, which they endeavoured to protect withtruly admirable courage; were they wounded, they fled, carrying their young in thispocket, and never abandoning it, until overcome with fatigue, and exhaufted with lofsof blood, they could fupport its weight no longer; then they flopped, helped theyoung one out of the bag, and pointed out to it the fpot where it had the greateftpromife of fecurity : they then continued their flight with what celerity they could ;did it happen the hunter gave over the chace, or flackened his purfuit, the woundedmother returned to the thicket which had given its offspring an afylum, called it bya fpecies of grunting, rarefied it with affection, as if to diffipate its fears, made it re-enter the pocket, and fought, with this precious burthen, fome new fhelter where thehunter might not be able to difcover it, or force it from its retreat. Similar were themarks of intelligence and affection thefe poor mothers exhibited when they felt them-felves mortally hurt: their whole care was lavifhed on their young ; far from feekingto efcape the huntfman, they fuddenly flopped, and their faff efforts were expendedin the prefervation of their young. — Generous felf-devotion, of which the hiflory ofanimals prefents fo many examples ! and which the human fpecies is fo often reducedto envy.

During our flay on Ifle Bernier we caught a number of thefe young animals ; butthe major part, as yet no doubt too weak, did not long furvive their captivity. Oneonly remained of thefe and became tame ; this animal ate bread with pleafure, andfeemed to relifli exceedingly the fugared water we gave it. The Iaft tafle is themore extraordinary, as on the iflands which thefe animals inhabit there is not anyfoft water to be found. This young kangaroo was accidentally killed at Timor : wefelt its lofs the lefs fenfibly, as, having but one of the fpecies, we could not hope tonaturalize it in Europe ; this firfl attempt, however, proves clearly that the fpeciesin queflion might eafily be tamed, and I again repeat, would be a mofl valuable ac-quisition to our parks and yards.

If a few troublefome or injurious animals be excepted, which we fhal! notice, allare rare on the unhappy foil of which w r e treat; the clafe of birds, for example, isconfined to wretched cormorants, divers kinds of boobies, petrels, lari, fea eagles, andoftralegse *, which far from man and his fhafts, multiply their voracious flights onthefe unproductive rocks. The land-birds are the fly-catchers, the fpeckled magpye,and a beautiful fpecies of titmoufe, with a blue collar, which will, as it deferves, befurther noticed.

The reptiles confifled of a fpecies of lizard f, one of the larged of that genus, andthe very fnort and large tail of which makes the. animal appear at firfl fight with twoheads ; a beautiful fpecies of tubinambis | x 2 to 16 decimeters long § ; a geeko jj offrom 10 to 13 centimeters ^[. The hiflory of thefe fpecies, all of which are new,will be prefented with the correfponding details in the zoological picture of NewHolland.

Perhaps no country in the world abounds more in fifli than the great Bay of Sharks ;but this abundance is unknown off the fhores of the ifle Bernier. In the bofom of theneighbouring havens it is that thefe animals go to feek the calm and aliment they

* Oyllcr-catchers. ff Scincus tropicurus. N. J T. Endraclitenfig

| 4 to 5 feet Englifn. || Geeko Dorrcenfes. N. f 4 to 4! inches EngliPa.

7 require;